Handbell clappers having a number of selectively operable striking heads are exemplified in the prior art by U.S.A. Patents to Jacob H. Malta, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,941,082, issued Mar. 2, 1976, entitled HANDBELL, and 3,253,574, issued May 31, 1966, entitled BELL. Both patents disclose a clapper angularly movable about the longitudinal axis of the clapper bar in order to position pairs of striking heads for engagement with the bell. The bell action is symmetrical, that is to say, the bell sound is the same in both the front and back swing directions since each of the pair of striking heads is the same.
An object of the present invention is to add a new dimension of versatility to a handbell by making it possible to select modes of operation of the bell in which the front and back swings of the handbell are either the same or different, as desired by the user. Another object of this invention is to accomplish this new function by a simple structural arrangement.